Correct Option (B)
The passage defines a moral act as one that "must be our own act; must spring from our own will." It emphasizes the importance of using one's "discrimination" and "own intelligence and power of thought," distinguishing it from mechanical action. Therefore, a moral action is fundamentally an action based on an individual's sense of discretion and independent judgment.
Incorrect Options:
Option 1 (A): The passage explicitly states that if one acts mechanically, there is no moral content in the act. It uses the example of a messenger carrying out an order mechanically to illustrate that such an action lacks moral value unless it is performed intentionally, considering it a duty, which involves discretion.
Option 3 (C): The passage focuses on the internal source of a moral act-one's own will, intelligence, and discrimination. It does not define moral action by external attributes like "cleverness" or mere "clarity of purpose." The emphasis is on the independent thought and volition behind the action, not its strategic or intellectual sharpness.
Option 4 (D): The passage links morality to the use of "own intelligence and power of thought" and the exercise of "discrimination," contrasting it with being passively "swept along like a log of wood." It does not connect moral action to religious understanding or ritualistic practices; rather, it highlights individual reasoning and autonomous will as its foundation.